January 21, 2007

Poulsbo, WA

The wind is still blowing and blowing and blowing….such is life in the Pacific Northwest. Most days we see winds in the 20K range and have just grown accustom to them. The boat is securely moored and all is well.

The past month has been quiet with a couple of highlights to brighten the gray skies.

One bright spot was watching our friends Bill & Masuko buy a new boat, a Hans Christian 39 Pilothouse. Now if you’re observant you’ll remember that we’ve made mention of them before, as they own Cassiar, a sister ship to Wand’rin Star. As of right now, we think they are probably the only folks on the planet who have owned two HC Pilothouses concurrently! They originally had been looking for a 39, but bought the 44 when none were available; by a twist of fate one became available here in Poulsbo and they jumped on it. Sooooo, if you or someone you know is interested in a HC 44 Pilothouse, there’s one for sale; just check out the HCOA webpage and you’ll see the link for info. You can also see a picture of Cassiar on our Boat Info page.

Gary has spent time taking photos of the birds and boats in the marina utilizing interesting light and weather. He’s also been doing computer “house-cleaning” and reorganizing, a necessary but sometimes frustrating undertaking. Unfortunately, due to the pain associated with his knee, walking has been limited and he’s been grateful for a good internet connection via BBX. His knee replacement surgery is scheduled for Jan. 26 th in Bremerton and he hopes to be fully recuperated by the first of April.

Liberty Bay Bakery was closed from Jan 1-23, so I enjoyed a short vacation from work. We decided to rent a car last weekend and drove to Olympia & Tacoma for a “vacation”. (Friends often laugh when we say we’re taking a vacation…they think we’re on vacation all the time!) The previous week brought snow to the area and some roads were still snow covered as we traveled south. On our way to Olympia on Friday, we stopped at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge and enjoyed a short walk, bird watching and picture taking. We took pleasure in a delicious dinner at Mercato in Olympia right across from the famous Farmer’s Market, unfortunately it’s closed till spring and we weren’t able to visit it. Our stay at the Phoenix Inn provided long hot showers (!!!!) and breakfast Saturday morning before we continued our investigation of Olympia. It’s a wonderful town with a beautiful Capitol building and campus…lots of restaurants and shops! Our stay there was too brief and unfortunately the weather was NOT conducive to in-depth exploration, it’s on the list of places we’d like to make a return trip to.

The next stop was The Villa Bed & Breakfast in Tacoma for a night of pampering and a BATHTUB! Kristy and Aaron, the innkeepers, made us very welcome, as did their dogs - Lucy and Mocha. Along with providing a sumptuous room with a bed so high that a footstool was provided, they suggested The Lobster Shop for dinner on the waterfront. If you’re ever in Tacoma, make sure you stop there for incredible lobster bisque! Aaron prepared a wonderful breakfast for us on Sunday that got us in the mood for a visit to the Glass Museum. Tacoma is enjoying a resurgence, especially in the arts and the well-known glass artist, David Chihuly, has large installations in the Glass Bridge, which spans an expressway. Our favorite part of the museum was the Hot Shop, where glass making can be viewed whenever the museum is open. Seattle was the next stop after spending several hours at the museum. One of the reasons we decided to return home via Seattle and the ferry was so we could indulge in Dim Sum at the House of Hong, one of our favorite things to do in the city! After the 30-minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, we headed back to Poulsbo and Murray the Cat. It took a while for the boat to warm up as the heat had been off for 2 days; we enjoyed our mini-vacation, but it always feels good to sleep in our own bed with a cat curled up at our feet!

Running errands with a car is a luxury and we made good use of it as we washed blankets and rugs at the Laundromat and did “heavy” shopping at the grocery store. It’s really difficult carrying home cat liter when one is walking ¾ of a mile from the store to the boat; therefore we try to do that kind of provisioning when we have wheels!

Oh, I almost forgot; one of the other bright spots of the past month is that we gave Kate & Damon, my daughter & son-in-law, a web cam for Christmas as well as getting one for ourselves. Additionally, Diane & Dennis, my sister & brother-in-law, got a new iMac with a web cam for Christmas too. Now thanks to Skype, we can SEE each other as well as talk to each other over the Internet! It’s really amazing how just being able to see loved ones makes it easier to be apart. We’re also looking forward to talking and seeing other friends who are utilizing Skype.

One unfinished boat project is the bow thruster as it is still not operational. Gary reinstalled the motor, checked out the solenoids and wiring, but it’s still not working. We’re not sure what the next step is; we just know it probably won’t get addressed until after his knee rehabilitation. Luckily, it’s not absolutely necessary for the operation of the boat and can be dealt with at another location after we head south.

We enjoyed hearing from family and friends over the holidays, especially the newsy letters and notes. Thank you so much for keeping us in your thoughts. The holidays also brought Liz & Kathy, friends from Berkeley, to the Poulsbo area and they spent a morning visiting us! It was great fun to have a leisurely breakfast with them at the Magnolia Café (another good restaurant within walking distance of the boat!) and hearing about their adventures of the past year. They’re the kind of folks who, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve seen them, the conversations just flow without skipping a beat. We do feel blessed to have met so many wonderful people during our “cruisin’ life”!

May the next couple months of winter treat you gently as the daffodils are already peeking through the ground here in Poulsbo.

Keep smiling with your face toward the sunshine!

Dorothy, Gary, and Murray the Cat

© Copyright 2007
Last updated on September 2, 2008